Government failing to tackle 'appalling' alcohol harm - MPs warn

A group of MPs are urging the Government to publish a focussed strategy to deal with alcohol harm.

The government’s failure to take the "appalling" harm caused by alcohol seriously enough has led to a public health crisis - a group of MPs have warned.

A critical report by the cross-party Public Accounts Committee has found that alcohol abuse is fuelling violent crime and costing the NHS an estimated £25 billion a year - while deaths related to alcohol harm rose 89% over the last two decades (fatalities which have increased sharply since the pandemic).

But despite this rise, MPs found that the number of people able to get treatment for alcohol dependency has been falling, while funding for support services has been slashed by hundreds of millions of pounds.

Dan Carden, the lead MP of the inquiry, said there is a lack of "political will" in Westminster to address the issue, and make sure people have the help they need to avoid alcohol harm.

"The Government has taken measures on things like obesity, smoking, gambling. Alcohol causes more harm than those put together - so when will we see a proper strategy from Government to deal with the consequences of alcohol harm?"

An estimated 10 million people in England regularly exceed the Chief Medical Officers’ low-risk drinking guidelines. Credit: PA

The Labour MP for Liverpool Walton has previously won praise for speaking out in the House of Commons about his own battle with alcohol addiction.

He's since been urging the Government to publish an alcohol-focussed strategy - and says he's "surprised and disappointed" that this has still not happened - the latest plans for one were shelved in 2020. 

"We uncovered a real regional variation in support services - as little as £4000 per 100,000 people being spent in one area, compared to £1 million per 100,000 people in another.

"That disparity between different regions is unacceptable, [an alcohol strategy] would take industry, health and local measures across all areas.

"With thousands of families broken by alcohol, the highest alcohol-specific deaths on record, 84% of alcohol dependent people in need of treatment not receiving it, and the enormous cost to the public purse - the Government must now remove the barriers of inaction and act on the recommendations set out in this report."

The Committee is now calling on the Department for Health to act on the best available evidence on preventative measures for alcohol harm, including price, availability, and marketing. 

Dame Meg Hillier MP, who chairs the Committee, said: “The harms from alcohol are appalling and the benefits of every £1 spent on treatment are immediate and obvious... What more does DHSC need to see to act decisively on this most harmful intoxicant?

The report warned that the £25 million a year cost of alcohol harm to the NHS is being underestimated.

In response to the report, a Government spokesperson told ITV News it's taking "serious action to support those most at risk" from alcohol harm, including funding specialist alcohol care teams at one in four hospitals.

They added “We’ve published a 10-year plan for tackling drug and alcohol-related harms and are investing an extra £532 million between 2022/23 to 2024/25 to create over 50,000 places in drug and alcohol treatment centres with high-quality care.

"Alcohol misuse can ruin lives and destroy families, so we are taking serious action to support those most at risk."

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